August 1919

It was early in the morning, the sun was only just peaking over the horizon and Aramis was stood outside the farmhouse where he had grown up. He had woken from yet another nightmare; due to the thunder and lightning storm during the night. The terrifying images still at the front of his mind caused his hands to shake and his breathing to be ragged. He brought his hands up to clench his hair as he shut his eyes tightly trying to banish the images out of his head. He bent forward and leaned on the fence.

Life was slowly going back to how it had been before the war, but Aramis felt that he was still stuck in the horrors of the war while the people around him seemed to move on and forget. Out of the twenty-six men and boys from Kemble to go to war, just under half of them returned.

Except for when he walked through the village, ever since he had received the Military Medal people had stood and stared at him in wonderment. He had become Kemble's resident hero and he hated it. He had taken to staying on the farm never straying into the village letting his mother and Anne keep the villagers off the farm. He smiled at the thought of gentle Anne, only she wasn't so gentle when the same people kept trying to catch a glimpse of him on the farm.

His nightmare faded away when he thought back on the day he returned to Kemble, Porthos had sent a telegram informing his father, Jack, Sophie and Ronald that they were returning and what day they would be back.

Late November 1918

As the rolling hills of the Gloucestershire countryside became familiar Aramis, Athos and Porthos rose to their feet in the compartment they had managed to secure for themselves. Aramis went to reach for his kit bag on the shelf above his seat, but with only one useable arm it was a difficult feet. Suddenly the train jerked causing his kit bag to come hurtling to the ground, hitting him on its way down, taking his uniform hat with it. Unfortunately the kit bag struck his injured right shoulder causing him to curse in pain; he brought his left hand up to rest on his right shoulder as he tried to breathe through the pain. He felt Porthos push him back into his seat and he opened his eyes to see Porthos looking part worried and part frustrated.

"You should have let me get your kit bag for you" chided Porthos as he nudged the offending bag with his foot.

"I can manage" responded Aramis, he reached down to retrieve his hat from the floor and placed his back on his head.

Athos rolled his eyes, "If this is you managing, then I'd hate to see what you would do to yourself when you can't manage by yourself."

Aramis opened his mouth to retort when Porthos cut him off, "Is your shoulder alright?"

Aramis followed Porthos' gaze to see that his left hand was still resting on his injured shoulder, he also noticed Athos' eye flicker worriedly from his face to his shoulder.

"It's fine" commented Aramis, he would have shrugged if not for the slight twinge in his shoulder every time he tried.

"Of course it is" replied Porthos dryly, "You wouldn't say anything even if it was."

Aramis sighed loudly, "And what would happen if I did? It's not like you'd be able to doing anything! I'm not going to die so let me get on with it!"

"You almost died Aramis" growled Porthos as he gripped Aramis' sleeve.

"Almost" stressed Aramis, "But I didn't! Unless I really am dead and this is some weird dream I'm having in the afterlife."

"Don't joke about dying" snapped Porthos,

"Why not?!" exclaimed Aramis, his eyes alight with anger. "I faced death twice in two years! I've moved on with it and so should you! And I wish you would stop fussing about it! It makes me feel nervous. Lord knows Mama is going make such a fuss when she sees this sling I'm wearing, so she doesn't need to see you acting as if a small knock to my shoulder will kill me! I will not have you worrying her like that!"

The fight drained out of Aramis and he slumped back in the seat and turned so he was staring out at the passing countryside. It felt strange to look upon land not torn up by war. He startled when a hand gently clasped his uninjured shoulder. From the corner of his eye Aramis watched as Porthos sat next to him putting their kit bags in a small pile.

Soon the train was slowing to a stop and the three of them stood again, he saw Porthos reaching for his kit bag so Aramis quickly reached out and swung his kit bag onto his left shoulder and glared at Porthos daring him to try and take the kit bag off him. Porthos sighed in defeat and nodded at Aramis. The train screeched to a halt and Aramis suddenly felt his stomach twist in nervousness, his palms were sweaty and his heart beating wildly, he felt for sure his friends could hear it. Athos swung open the train door and Aramis stepped down from the carriage and as the steam began to drift away he turned and locked eyes on his parents.

"Aramis!" cried Sophie, she pushed past the few people that stood between herself and her son and Aramis found himself being squeezed by his mother's arms.

"Mama" mumbled Aramis into her shoulder. Sophie then seemed to realise that her son was hugging her with one arm, she stepped back and for the first time noticed the white sling that stood out against his uniform.

"Oh Aramis!" whimpered Sophie, she reached out with a shaky hand and touched the sling.

"Mama I'm alright" said Aramis softly, ducking his head a little so he could look his mother in the eye.

Sophie nodded and hugged Aramis tighter, although being mindful of his shoulder. Aramis buried his head into his mother's shoulder until a pair of heavy footsteps stopped beside them. He peaked over his mother's shoulder and looked up at his father. Sophie stepped away and turned to embrace Porthos. Aramis stood up to his full height again and smiling softly he reached out his left hand to shake his father's hand.

Ronald stifled back a sob as he ignored Aramis' outstretched hand and hugged his son. "You're back."

"Yes Papa, I'm back" confirmed Aramis, he felt his father relax and smiled knowing soon he would be helping his father, Uncle Jack and Porthos on the farm.

Then Aramis saw Anne standing nearby, he felt his father step back from him so he took a few hesitant steps towards Anne. She broke out into a big smile and ran at him; she slowed just as she hugged Aramis tightly. He felt himself relax as she wrapped her arms around him; he leaned back and kissed her. It took a second until she was kissing him back, they broke apart and Anne gently rested a hand on his injured shoulder.

"Are you alright?" Anne asked, her eyes fixed on the sling.

"I'm alright" smiled Aramis,

"You got that crossing the Sambre Canal didn't you?"

Aramis blinked in shock, "How do you know?"

Anne smiled a little, "You were mentioned in the London Gazette and the local newspaper because you received the Military Medal, and it said you earned it crossing the Sambre Canal."

As the train began to pull out of the station with a cloud of steam Aramis was pulled back in time to the Sambre Canal. The shouting of men, the pinging of bullets, the shrieking of shells and the splashing of water.

"Aramis?"

He blinked slowly and found Anne, his parents, Jack and Porthos staring at him. He smiled and then spotted Flea and Isabelle standing nearby, he was worried about Isabelle's feelings realising she would have seen him and Anne kissing. But Isabelle smiled at him and then her attention was drawn to another returning solider who she was soon embracing.

Soon their small group was leaving the platform, Anne stayed clutching gently to his right side being careful of his sling and his mother had one of her arms around his left one. Once they had stepped out of the station he stopped suddenly at the sight of the village where he had grown up. His mother and Anne looked questionably up at him.

"It's just nice to be home again" he explained, Sophie smiled and rubbed his arm comfortingly understanding that he was getting a little overwhelmed.

"Do you want me to take your kit bag son?" asked Ronald,

Aramis shook his head; he leaned into Anne and then began the walk back to the farm.

It was about a month later that Aramis had proposed to Anne and she had accepted, they had gotten married in mid-July, something he had been worried about as the date of their wedding was very close to the three year anniversary of the massacre he had survived. Somehow he had been convinced to wear his uniform for the wedding, (thankfully his arm was no longer in a sling and he was relieved to have the use of both arms back) he hadn't wanted to, knowing the people of the village were using it as an excuse to look at his Military Medal ribbon.

To make it easier for him Porthos and Athos had each worn their own uniforms with their own medal ribbons. It had taken some of the attention away from him, as people wanted to look at the three ribbons Porthos and Athos had, especially as they didn't mind talking about them to people. Well Athos did mind, but knowing how Aramis was more uncomfortable talking about his medals he gladly talked to give Aramis a respite from the gawking villagers. But no matter how hard Athos and Porthos tried, people still came back to Aramis as instead of three ribbons he had four*. Anne had stuck close to him throughout the day and he drew strength from his new wife. His mother was also very helpful in noticing when he had had enough and she easily got rid of the people bothering her son.

Aramis rubbed his right shoulder, in the early morning cold his shoulder was a little painful. But he knew it would soon fade once the sun rose higher, but he knew the winter was going to play havoc with his healed injury.

He heard footsteps coming towards him and he smiled knowing they belonged to Anne. Sure enough she came to lean on the fence beside him. Seeing him rubbing his shoulder she began gently massaging his shoulder.

"Did your shoulder wake you?" Anne asked softly.

Aramis shook his head sighing staring out at the fields, "Nightmare."

"The storm last night?"

He nodded staring down at his feet. Anne took his hand in her own and gently began pulling him along the footpath into the mass of fields. She had discovered soon after his return from the war that going for walks helped calm his mind after a nightmare or flashback.

As they walked in silence his mind began to wander and he thought back on when after he had been convinced to wear his uniform for his wedding, old Mrs Edgar had said he would be able to show off his medal he had received for his bravery. Aramis had been filled with anger and he stormed home from the village and up to his room, ignoring the worried voices of his parents, Jack and Porthos. Once he reached his room he roughly opened a drawer and took out the box containing his Military Medal. He turned and stormed out of his room, out of the farmhouse and strode past his father, Jack and Porthos in the yard until he was almost running through the fields to where the River Thames cut through the countryside.

June 1919

Aramis came to a sudden stop beside the River Thames; he was out of breath and bent forward with his hands resting on his knees. Still gripping the small medal box in his hand. He glared angrily at the box and stood straighter and raised his arm ready to throw the box into the flowing river. But a hand came out of nowhere stopping him from throwing away the medal. He turned and found Porthos staring at him, he tried to wrench his wrist out of Porthos' hand but Porthos wouldn't let him.

"You don't want to do that Aramis" commented Porthos,

"Don't I?" snapped Aramis, "I hate having this medal and all the staring and gawking that comes with it!"

"I know you do" soothed Porthos, their arms still raised, "But you deserve it."

"No I don't! How do I deserve this more than any of those who didn't come home?" Aramis' throat hurt from the combined effort of raising his voice and trying to keep his tears back.

Porthos looked sadly at him and lowered their arms, the medal box slipped from Aramis' grasp and Aramis made no move to pick it up again. So Porthos reached down and picked it up, he held it out to Aramis but Aramis refused to take it back; he didn't even look at it.

"You do deserve it Aramis" countered Porthos firmly, "You were so brave that day."

"Brave?" scoffed Aramis, "There wasn't anything brave about what I did. I was scared."

"Everyone was scared" replied Porthos as he moved so he was standing in front of Aramis. "Bravery and courage is not the absence of fear. Real bravery and courage, comes from acting in spite of it."

Aramis stared at him with wide eyes before he swallowed and shut his eyes tightly, but tears still began to slip silently down his face. "All I can think about is those who didn't come home. About how that German soldier spared my life while my friends were slaughtered in the woods with no mercy, how every time we went over the top and crossed the Canal how many fell and didn't get back up. Why did they all die and I survive? How did I make it through the war alive and gain a medal for bravery? When every single man in the trenches deserved one!" choked Aramis, his shoulders beginning to shake.

Porthos then hugged Aramis tightly knowing this was the first time since they returned to Britain he had cried and broke down the walls he had created to try and move on from the war. "Let it out. Let it all out" murmured Porthos as he rubbed a hand up and down Aramis' back. Aramis buried his face into Porthos' shoulder and wrapped his arms around Porthos.

Porthos then fully took in how young they were. They were 22 now, but they had returned from war at the age of 21 and they had left at 18. They had thought they were all grown up, but the war caused it to fully hit home that really they were barely out of childhood. They all had some innocence about them, until it was ripped out in the trenches. They had left school at 14 and instantly a lot had been expected of them to act like adults and now they were expected to move on from the horrors of war as quickly as a snap of fingers. Men were looked down upon if they seemed to be heavily affected from the war with no physical injuries, but Porthos wondered how the older generation that sent them off to war would cope with the sights they had seen. No one back home understood. The men who had fought in the Boar War understood to a point, but they hadn't lived like animals in trenches and faced seeing what poisonous gas did to their friends.

Aramis raised his head and wiped the last of his tears away, he felt embarrassed at his outburst but Porthos only held out his medal box. Still Aramis did not take it back, so Porthos took one of his hands and placed the box in it.

Porthos looked Aramis directly in the eye, "When you look at this medal. Don't think of the men who didn't come back. Think of all the ones you saved that day."

Aramis paused for a moment and then nodded, holding the box closer to him. Porthos nodded and with an arm around Aramis' shoulders they began walking back to the farm. Aramis felt as if a huge weight had been lifted from his shoulders and he felt as if he could breathe easier.

Aramis and Anne stopped and sat on a fallen tree and looked out at the endless fields in front of them. Aramis looked at Anne and took her warm hand in his cool one.

"I'm sorry" he murmured, "I can't be good company, always being startled and getting lost in memories."

Anne turned to look at him and with her free hand she ran her fingers through his hair, "Don't be sorry. Don't you ever be sorry. It is not your fault; you have nothing to be sorry for."

Aramis smiled softly, "Sometimes I feel like this is all a dream and soon I'm going to open my eyes and find myself back there."

"I wish I knew how to help you" confessed Anne,

Aramis squeezed her hand, "Just staying at my side and coming for walks help. You also have nothing to be sorry for."

Anne shook her head chuckling, Aramis grinned back at her and she felt the air rush out of her lungs. Since Aramis had returned his smiles hadn't reached his eyes (if they did it was only a handful of times) but his eyes were starting to get the light back in them. Right now the Aramis she had known and loved before the war was sitting in front of her. So she decided to share her news with him.

"Well in eight months there will be another reason keeping you up at night" said Anne smiling.

He paused in thought and he then widened his eyes, "You mean?" Anne nodded and Aramis stood up and whooped in excitement, he pulled her to her feet and twirled her around. She laughed; the 18 year old she had loved was defiantly coming back to her. Anne figured that after all the death and destruction Aramis had survived, he just needed to be shown that there was still life and beauty left in the world. He embraced her and kissed her passionately, when they broke apart he rested his forehead against hers.

"This is the second best thing I have ever heard" grinned Aramis,

"Only the second?" questioned Anne frowning slightly,

Aramis smiled at the look on her face, "You saying yes to marrying me was the best thing I have, and will ever, hear."

Anne laughed and then replied, "I will have to see if Porthos thinks the same."

Aramis rolled his eyes, "It's about time he proposed to Flea. He's been going on for years how Flea is the only girl for him. I have no idea why he waited so long to propose to her."

"Yes he did seem excited last night" grinned Anne,

"Do you really think so?" chuckled Aramis, "He was about one step away from shouting his love and excitement of getting married from the rooftop of the farmhouse. It took both Uncle Jack and Papa to pull Porthos back from the trellis. Mama gave him a right scolding for being so loud and trying to get on the rooftop."

Anne gently smacked his arm smiling, "You were no help just sitting there laughing at the whole thing."

Aramis shrugged, his eyes alight with laughter, "Well I couldn't begrudge him his excitement. And have no fear I did not do anything so foolish as try to climb the trellis of the farmhouse after you accepted my offer of marriage."

"I should hope so! You still had your right arm in a sling then!" exclaimed Anne; she then narrowed her eyes, "What did you do?"

Aramis laughed and rubbed the back of his neck, "Porthos and I went to the Tavern and got drunk. To be honest Mama loved that just about the same as she loved Porthos almost climbing up to the rooftop."

"I can imagine" drawled Anne. But she soon burst into laughter with Aramis, by now the sun had fully risen so Aramis rested one of her arms in the crook of his elbow and began leading the way back to the farmhouse. He knew he was very lucky having the family and friends that he did and he could not have asked for a better wife, who he was fortunate to be starting a family with.

The war for him was truly over.

The end.

A/N So this story is at an end and thank you to everyone who has read this, reviewed, followed and favourited.

While I won't be continuing this my head cannon for this story is that Aramis and Anne would have four children, three girls and a boy (the youngest of the four). Porthos and Flea would have a girl and a boy. Athos and Anne would be happily married, I don't know about their children that can be up to you.

* The medals I mentioned for each of them would be these:

Athos – The 1914 Star (established April 1917, also known as 'Pip' or the 'Mons Star'. Authorized by King George V for those who had served in France or Belgium between 5th August 1914 to midnight on 22nd November 1914. The recipients of this medal were responsible for assisting French troops to hold back the German Army, while new recruits could be trained and equipped.), The British War Medal, 1914-18 (established on 26th July 1919, also known as 'Squeak'. It was awarded to officers and men of the British and Imperial Forces who entered a theatre of war or entered service overseas between 5th August 1914 and 11th November 1918. This was later extended to services in Russia, Siberia and some other areas in 1919 and 1920.) And the Allied Victory Medal.

Porthos – The 1914-15 Star (established December 1918, also known as 'Pip'. It is very similar to the 1914 Star, but was issued to a wider range of recipients. It was awarded to those who served in any theatre of war against Germany between 5th August 1914 and 31st December 1915, except for those eligible for the 1914 Star.), The British War Medal, 1914-18 and the Allied Victory Medal.

Aramis – The 1914-15 Star, The British War Medal, the Allied Victory Medal and the Military Medal (Also called the MM, it is awarded for 'Acts of Gallantry and Devotion to Duty under fire'. It was awarded to personnel of the British Army and other services and also to the personnel of Commonwealth countries. It was established on 25th March 1916 (has been back dated/awarded to men for their acts of bravery in 1914) and was the other ranks (enlisted ranks) equivalent to the Military Cross (MC). It was introduced to make the Distinguished Conduct Medal (DCM) retain its high level of precedence. So many men were earning the DCM that some people were almost seeing it as easy to earn; this is why in March 1916 the MM was introduced.)

The information about the medals I got was from Wikipedia (for the Military Medal) and .uk (for the British Campaign Medals.)